The RSPCA’s Warrington, Halton & St Helens Branch welcomed Petra, a German Shepherd puppy, in May 2021.
Due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances and a long court case, Petra, now a three-year-old pup, has spent more than 720 days in a kennel.
She came as a puppy and never left. The shelter became her home and that’s all she knew.
The animal care manager at the center in Warrington, Katie Buckley, told the Liverpool Echo News, “All the staff have understandably grown very fond of Petra as she’s been with us for the vast majority of her life, and we’ve invested so much time in training her, building up her confidence, and introducing her to new experiences.”
After living all her life in an animal shelter, they finally received approval to find a new home for this adorable German Shepherd pup.
Life in a kennel might be better than life on the streets, but this dog still deserves to experience having a loving home and a family.
When Petra first arrived at the shelter, she found kennel life quite difficult and was very anxious. The team had to put her on some anxiety medication, which helped a lot.
“She was anxious about many things to start with – and even giving her a bath is something that still makes her nervous,” said Katie.
Since then, she has really come out of her shell. Hanging out with her handler, traveling in the car, and spending time at the foster carer’s home has helped a lot with her anxiety.
Being a homeless dog at such a young age must have been difficult for this sweet soul, which is probably why she was scared of everything.
Petra is still frightened of other dogs, so her new home will probably need to be a one-dog household. But, she’s working on overcoming all her fears.
“Even though she has her fears, the amount of love she has to give is endless,” said the whole shelter unanimously.
There’s one thing about Petra that stands out – it’s her love of tennis balls.
Even when she was still very young, the staff could see how much she loved tennis balls and playing with them. She always has at least one with her.
Petra will surely excel at fly ball or some agility courses.
“We’d love to see her happily settled in her own place now we’re finally in a position to be able to rehome her,” said Katie. “There will be lots of happy tears when Petra gets her happy ending.”
The center is looking for an adult-only home, and preferably, people who have experience with nervous rescue dogs.
Since Petra loves her tennis balls so much, it would be such a shame to deprive her of them, so a large garden and a somewhat rural environment would be perfect.
And, above all… Petra needs someone who will love her. I think we can all agree that after spending all her life in a kennel, she finally deserves a happy ending.
If you’re interested in adopting Petra or know someone who might be interested, please share this with them.
More information about this sweet girl and the adoption process can be found here.
